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Advantages of a Dual Sport helmet vs regular full fade or flip up helmet

Whosoever

New member
Hello everyone...I'm new to dual sport riding or perhaps I should say, I have "returned" to a dual sport bike, 800gs, after a 40 year gap. Equipment today has become much more specialized than it used to be. With that said, what are...if any....the advantages to helmets worn by "dual sport" riders verses what I've been wearing for a number of years on my sport touring bikes? Which happens to be a HJC Modular or Flip Up style.
 
I dunno what a dual sport helmet is, but off road helmets usually allow the use of goggles and provide for more air circulation so that you can breath easier when you are dragging a 1200 GSA out of deep mud.
 
Had a shoei dual sport helmet, has a bill built into it, great for off road riding, let the wind at highway speeds get under the bill and watch out, wants to pull your head back kinda discerning at 60+. Didn't find it very usable for street riding
1200gs
 
I'd guess when you say dual sport helmet you mean either the Arai XD or Shoei Hornet DS units...

Can't really speak to the flip up type helmets as I've not owned one (yet). But rode for years with a variety of full face Arai's, Shoei's, Bell's, etc, etc. And in the early days owned 3/4 helmets like Bell Magnum's and RT's. Prior to my current Arai XD3 I rode with a couple of Arai Quantums. When I gave up my Ducati for an R1150R I deciced to try an XD and sort of fell in love with this style of helmet. Really fond of that big bill to shade my eyes, especially in the early morning or late afternoons.

I'm a big guy (6'2", 240) so I've NOT had a problem with wind flow moving my head around at higher speeds, YMMV. And after a couple of years on the '50R I moved over to an R1100S and ride "pretty quickly" at times. Particularly on the more remote highways of Washington, Oregon, and Northern Nevada. At this point I'd probably not go back to a "normal" full face helmet, I really like the ventilation and eye protection of a dual sport helmet.

Flip face helmets might be advantageous for eye glass wearers...but I've worn glasses for 50+ years and don't have any problem with full face helmets at all. But that obviously is related to the choice of eye glass styles. Just not a big deal for me...

Hope that helps...

Cheers! :drink
 
I'd guess when you say dual sport helmet you mean either the Arai XD or Shoei Hornet DS units...

Can't really speak to the flip up type helmets as I've not owned one (yet).
........Hope that helps...
Cheers! :drink

Yes, this does! Goes to show you how much I know....didn't even know what to call them. I appreciate everyone's reply. After I posted my question I did more digging on the net and found that the ventilation issues is the key to this type of helmet and the visor protection.

Thanks again everyone for helping me sort this out!

Ride safe everyone! Pat
 
I too had a Shoei DS helmet and also noticed the visor was great at catching the wind and did little to shield anything. I replaced it after a crash with the BMW Enduro helmet and found it to be a much better design. The visor is long enough to be functional, yet does not catch the wind much at all. And it's super light. Not available in the US though.
 
When we toured in southern Africa one of the riders had a dual sport / dirt type helmet with a visor. By about day 3 or 4 he was cussing the way the visor caught the wind. By about day 10 when we had arrived at Capetown he searched every findable motorcycle shop until he found one that sold helmets priced at only one arm and leg, plus his first born child, instead of both children. He gleefully paid the many hundred dollar price to be able to stop wearing the helmet he brought with him. One data point based on that helmet, and the little shield on the F650 Dakar he was riding.
 
I've put about 35k miles

on three bikes (R100GSPD, R1150GSA, and a R1100GS) while wearing either the Arai XD, or the Icon Variant. I agree that you can get your helmet caught in the wind, but they are also much cooler than a regular helmet, and if you ride off road, they are able to be worn with goggles that makes it much easier to see.

YMMV
 
And...

On my Arai XD3, the visor is removable, which might be an alternative in high cross winds.

That being said, when I picked up my R11S in Louisville a few years ago, I had extremely severe wind conditions on my ride home. Original route back to Seattle area was going to be a more or less straight shot through Wyoming. Unfortunately the weather wasn't favorable, and I ended up going all the way down through Texas to avoid blizzards throughout the Rockies. 4 solid days riding with crosswinds of 30 plus mph, with much higher gusts at times. Practically had to ride side saddle to stay on the pavement...LOL

Perhaps the sunvisor design of the Arai flows air better than others??? I've not done back to back comparisons, but the wind vs. visor has not been an issue for moi.

Again, YMMV! :whistle
 
I have two Arai XD helmets. I like them because they have very large eye ports, larger than the flip ups I used to use. As noted above the visor is removable. I use one helmet with visor when on my GS and another helmet without visor when on my vintage bike. The seating position on my R69S doesn't go well with the visor. To remove the visor requires the addition of two small visor replacement pieces that come with the helmet. The visor (and shield) are held on by 4 screws with quarter size slots.

I don't notice the visor catching much wind on my GS, even with a cut down shield. Perhaps that's because I rarely get above 80 MPH. :dunno
 
If the majority of your riding is on paved roads there's no point of having a dual-sport( whatever that means???)type helmet. I had a XD and could not sell it fast enough on ebay. There's nothing better than a properly fitted full face helmet for highway speeds.
 
If the majority of your riding is on paved roads there's no point of having a dual-sport( whatever that means???)type helmet. I had a XD and could not sell it fast enough on ebay. There's nothing better than a properly fitted full face helmet for highway speeds.

Oh really? All of my riding is on pavement, and I really like my XD. Different strokes for different folks I guess...!

Cheers! :drink :bolt
 
I have an XD-3, which I wore when I had my GS. Never had any problem with winds, at 120-130km/h. I'm 5'7" and I had low Sargent seat. Just a little bit with crosswinds, but nothing really bad. But I did appreciate the peak shielding the low sun. Invaluable. And the side visibility. And the comfort. Now that I have an RT, I think the XD-3 would be out of style, unfortunately. Yes, call me vain. ;)
 
Fulmer

Riding the 800gs you must look cool so go with a"dual sport/adventure/dirt bike" type helmet. I have the Fulmer ADV Helmet and was $155. Great helmet "the cool looks" and with my GSA at speed it is not bad. Sometimes on my DR at highway speeds the long visor gets wind but the advantages far out way that problem.
 
I had my dirt bike helmet with a long visor on it that would just about rip my head off at speed, so I got the Arai XD-3. It has a smaller visor with air vents where it meets up with the helmet letting the air flow through, which prevents it from catching the wind and jerking your head back. It will catch the wind some with a heavy cross wind but I like the visor too much when riding toward the sun to remove it. The face shield is also much wider, improving peripheral vision while being able to take off the shield to put on goggles if desired. I wouldn't wear one of those flip up things, because in order for it to flip up, it has to have a hollow portion in the helmet, making it weaker. But then I know several riders that wear those bean caps, so to each their own.
 
I'm not sure if there is a correct answer for this question. What works for one rider in all likelyhood will not be desired by another. The best advice is to shop at a place like the Helmet Shop where you can try on many different makes and models. I own full face, open face with full shield, and 2 modular helmets. 90% of the time I choose my HJC IS MAX modular. The retractable sunshade is a godsend in bright conditions, the ventilation is great in hot weather when the outer shield is raised about 3/8" or so, and you can raise the chin guard when stopped.
 
The wind catching your vsior has a lot to do with how tall you are, the aerodynamics of the bike and your windshield. That said the off road style visors on dualsport helmets do catch more air, but might not be a factor. Most DP helmets are easily converted to non-visor very quicky so you can change back and forth.

If you wear a street nhelmet off road the inside of your shield will get covered in dust, even more so if you ride in a group. Dirt helmets use goggles that seal around your eyes protecting them from dust, but also keeping the inside of the goggle shield clean.

A good dual sport helmet will allow you to use it as a street helmet (with or without the visor

A pure dirt helmet, by removing the shield and using goggles.

Or a combination of the two.....let me explain.

Riding in the Sierra Mountains, I used the shield and goggles at the same time.

Very dusty trail conditions called for riding with dirt goggle and the shield in the up position. Popping out onto paved roads and going over mountain passes where it was very cold & snowing allowed me to lower the vsior over the goggles (there is room between the shield and helmet starp for the goggle shell) and have the wind and snow protection of a full face helmet....jsump back on a dusty trail? No problem, just lift your helmet's shield.

It is just like a dual sport bike there are choices to be made. A DP helmet is not as good on the street as a full face & perhaps not as good in the dirt as a off-road helmet, but it is a good compromise.....and dualsport motorcycling is all about compromise.
 
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